Saanich-Gulf will have party candidate

The Green Party will run a candidate in Saanich-Gulf Islands during the next election, despite pressure from insiders to vote Liberal or NDP instead.

Green Party members nominated Andrew Lewis to the riding on Saturday, ignoring a controversial letter urging them to vote strategically in order to oust Natural Resources Minister Gary Lunn.

“Surely we can’t allow Gary Lunn to be elected a fifth time by once again splitting the progressive vote,” read a letter signed by six environmental activists, including Guy Darcy, the Green’s climate-change critic.

Lewis yesterday accused Darcy of violating the party’s constitution.

“I don’t think he had the right to do what he did,” he said.

B.C. Green Party Leader Christopher Bennett condemned the activists, calling it “a stupid way to do politics.”

He also accused the activists of “fear mongering” and “vilifying” Lunn.

Adrian Carr, former leader of the B.C. Greens and now deputy leader of the federal party, disagreed.

“To me he’s about as un-green as you get,” she said, but added that it would have been a mistake not to run a candidate against him.

Carr, Bennett and Lewis all agreed that Liberal candidate Briony Penn has a solid track record, but they said she would be unable to push her party to take action on the environment.